Mark Cohen: Filmmaker and Tragic Figure
by WithoutYou19
Summary: postRENT: Mark's world seems to be crumbling down all around him. Mimi, Roger, Collins, and Angel are dead. As Mark watches his film, he slowly loses himself.


**A Man called Mark**

**Rating: T (for references to character deaths,language, drugs, and other adult themes)**

**Category: Angst/ Drama**

**Summary: Roger is dead. Mimi is dead. Collins and Angel are dead. Benny has moved away with his wife; Alison Grey. Let's just say; Mark is going a little crazy.**

**Author: WithoutYou19**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters from RENT. They are solely the property of Jonathon Larson and Sony Pictures.**

Mark was losing it.

He gazed at the small clock on his bedside table and felt a tear run down his cheek. It was exactly five o' clock A.M. Two weeks before, his best friend- Roger Davis- had died on the bed that Mark was sitting on at that very moment.

Roger had seemed to be getting better. Until two weeks ago, he had been extremely happy and energetic. Then suddenly, exactly two weeks before Christmas Eve, Roger had fainted. He had fallen onto the bed and died.

Mark was losing it.

Mimi had died a week before Roger, but he never knew. Word of her death hadn't reached Mark until the day after Roger died. When he learned of her death, he started to lose himself.

Without Roger there to hang out with him, Mark had begun to watch his tape of his old friends repeatedly. When Alexi called to give him an assignment, he quit- or at least he referred to it as quitting. The truth was, he had started bawling his head off when he answered the phone. She fired his ass without a moment of hesitation.

Fortunately, Mark had enough money saved up to buy food and pay the rent. The new landlord was cheap and usually drunk, so Mark managed to let the whole idea of paying rent slip his mind.

So, as Mark sat on the bed on that frosty Christmas Eve and watched his award- winning footage; he had a lot on his mind.

His eyes gazed longingly at the projection screen as images flickered across.

_The first part of the tape is begun with the title: "Maureen: The Star of the Show". A thin red- head in a tight black jumpsuit cartwheels along a dirty sidewalk. Her hair is shoulder- length and straight. Her bangs hang down to her eyelids, and her smile is immense. _

_The screen flashes black for a moment and switches scenes._

_This time, the woman looks around four years older. Her bangs are gone and her hair looks smooth and slightly wavy. It hangs down to her breasts. She wears a red dress that brings out an inner beauty. _

_She is not alone this time._

_Standing at the center of an industrial loft apartment, she does a cute wave and flashes her smile. Giggling, she walks right up to the camera and kisses the lenses (French- kisses). Immediately, the cameraman puts his beloved camera onto a chair or stool and storms into the viewpoint of it._

_He is extremely dorky; dressed in a pair of tight blue- jeans and a small sweater. His glasses only magnify the appearance of him yelling at the woman; Maureen._

_Maureen begins to laugh hysterically as the man walks towards her. As he swears loudly in an incredibly geeky voice, she unzips her dress to reveal a slim and beautiful body. The blonde nerd stops talking immediately and analyzes her bare body. She calls him "Pooky", then takes the camera from the stool and focuses on their ironic kiss._

_The screen flashes again to reveal a more exciting clip._

_Maureen appears to be slightly older, but still contains the evidence of an eating disorder. Her hair is curly. Her smile is as bright as ever. Even her tight jeans and white blouse hold an essence of immense beauty._

_She is no longer in the apartment. This time, she stands on a stage in an empty lot. After making a passionate speech about "jumping over the moon", she raises her microphone and stirs an audience to begin rioting. Mark's footage holds a fiery emotion of anarchy. Even as he films a cross- dresser kicking a white man in the balls, the mood is deep and arousing as hell._

_It's a shame that it ends after only around an hour of rioting._

_The next portion of Maureen's tape is the last._

_Only her face is in the view of the camera as she delivers a sweet monologue._

"_My name is Maureen Johnson. My interests lie in acting, singing, and most of all; REVOLUTION! You see, a great man once said that a great artist must become one of the people. The artist must then join their fellows in fighting the oppressor. I consider myself a great artist because I fulfill these standards and my performances are beautiful masterpieces. I fight against poverty, harsh government, and lack of sexual freedom. It shouldn't be against society to be gay. Well, I guess I've said enough. Love always; CUT!"_

_She laughs as the cameraman; Mark; makes a speech of his own from behind the camera._

"_If I had to describe Maureen as an animal; she would definitely be a cat. As we all know, cats possess a special glow of beauty and even superiority. Their lovely fur hides the menace inside. The same can be said of Maureen. She'll cheat on you all the time; and you'll know. But something always keeps you from leaving her. For instance- a few months ago, I-"_

_A clean- looking black woman enters the room with a stack of papers. She cuts Mark off in a rather low voice._

"_Mark! I thought you said that this movie was supposed to be an emotional film of love and devotion. It seems to me like you want it to be a soap- opera about some nerdy Jewish boy who likes to stalk a hot bisexual woman. This isn't what the people want to hear."_

"_Joanne- this is my movie. MY movie. Not your movie; my movie. Alright? Now; back to the- Wait! Have I been rolling this whole time? Shit!"_

_The camera goes black._

Mark walked up to the projector and removed the tape. He would watch the next part later. But for now, he needed sleep. It was another one of his ways to remember his friends.

_**I hope you liked this story. I have to warn you- it's only going to get sadder and sadder. If you want an update, simply write a short review. Once I get seven reviews, I'll update the story. It's a very simple process.**_

_**-"Don't breathe too deep. **_

_**Don't think all day.**_

_**Just dive into work. **_

_**Drive the other way…"-**_

_**WithoutYou19**_


End file.
